Teachings: Sukkot – sukkos

photo: Benjamin Fradin and Lena Obermann Fradin

Ushpizin is a way of inviting in of the souls of ancestors and other special figures into your sukkah.  Here is how ushpizin can be done:

1. Ask those present to think about who from the family or Jewish history that has gone on to the next level of existence, whom of these do you want to be in the sukkah with you? It’s nicest to say why you are inviting them...tell a story about them, or recall something they did that meant a lot to you, or everyone think of a question to ask the ancestor being invited in, for example, the Biblical Abraham and/or Sarah.

2. Then recite the Aramaic welcome: Tivu, tivu, ushpizin ee-lah-een, tivu, tivu, ushpizin kaddishin: (and announce): Come in, come in, honored and holy guests! (An MP3 sound file and songsheet for Rabbi Geelah Rayzel Raphael's "Tivu" song, done with the a capella group Miraj is attached.) The are seven traditional male and female ancestral guests to invite into your Sukkah (and tell their stories) from antiquity are:

How might a feminal idea differ from a seminal idea?

Pass both a lulav and an etrog to tonight's guests in your sukkah. Let the person to whom it comes, if they are so inclined, reflect on the differences in the qualities of these two symbols. Allow room for humor, scent, acting, conceptualizing, and singing.

One related memory that comes to mind for me is when the women rabbinical students at the seminary where I trained (Reconstructionist Rabbinical College) were sitting together in collective sadness in a sukkah. Our sadness came from the absence of Jewish women’s history, philosophy and life-cycle rituals in both Judaism and rabbinical school.

This is a guided visualization.
You can read it to yourself or
read it out loud to your congregation
or havurah or other group....

Please get as comfortable as you can in your seat.

Begin to notice your breathing (make a few audible, slow breaths so others present can join you)....

imagine it is a really nice day during sukkot.

You have made a plan to leave your office or place of work or study - to leave that strong office temple which houses your day's efforts and for a few minutes to go sit in a sukkah.

Creating a More Meaningful and Memorable Sukkah Experience
Note: Also attached is a great Sukkkot / Sukkos song by Rabbi Geelah Rayzel Raphael & a video of Rabbi Shefa Gold chanting a verse from the Song of Songs that is a perfect meditation for in your sukkah!